The Wall Between Medically Diagnosed and Self-diagnosed College

Students with ADHD in Qatar- Does it Exist?

Over time, work for college students becomes more stressful and all that these college students
can do is simply deal with it, but even dealing with this workload isn’t easy. The studying
process has its indestructible hindrances that can sometimes hardly keep the students’ heads
above water. When I first read through the symptoms of ADHD, the first thought that came to
mind is that I probably have ADHD. I blamed ADHD for my procrastination and laziness most of
the time. I blamed ADHD for every mistake I did. I have met so many people my age who are
dealing with the same struggles that align with the symptoms of ADHD.
It was the summer of 2019 when I first downloaded TikTok and watched multiple videos about
the term “self-diagnosing,” where these content creators mentioned that not everything we
confirm is medically confirmed. That’s when I realized that I can’t consider myself a person with
ADHD. ADHD is not everything we see on the outside, ADHD is caused by biological factors
before anything, so self-diagnosing is not a confirmation that one is diagnosed with ADHD.
Everyone I know deals with at least some of the struggles that align with the symptoms of
ADHD. This realization led me to this thought: If everyone deals with ADHD symptoms, then
what makes ADHD special? Why isn’t everyone diagnosed with ADHD? What makes those who
are medically diagnosed with ADHD different from the rest of us who have never heard that
“You have ADHD” statement from a professional?
Even though the idea of ADHD doesn’t bother me since I have had to spend time with many
college students that have been medically diagnosed, I have always wondered what ADHD feels
like for those who have been medically diagnosed with it. Some people see those with ADHD as
lazy when the truth is (based on the medically diagnosed college students) they do want to be
better and move forward but it’s like the back of their shirts is being grasped by the hands of
distraction and procrastination.
Introduction:
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behavior.
People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating, and may act on impulse.
The symptoms of ADHD usually improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with
the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.
The symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be categorized into 2
types of behavioral problems: inattentiveness, and hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Some
symptoms of ADHD are:

 Easily getting distracted

 Making careless mistakes- for example, in schoolwork
 Being unable to stick to time-consuming tasks
  Constantly changing activity or task
 Excessive physical movement
 Interrupting conversations
(nhs.uk)
We all find at least one of these symptoms relatable, so do we have ADHD? If not, why are we
relating to these symptoms?
This piece is an ethnographic study on college students in Qatar- both the medically and self-
diagnosed students, and I hope that along with the research that I have conducted, I raise
awareness about ADHD and help people realize that ADHD isn’t only a disorder that can be
confirmed based on the actions that we do in our daily wives, but also due to detailed,
biological processes.

Original Research Question: What makes college students who are medically diagnosed with
ADHD different from those who are self-diagnosed?

Methodology:
For my research, I selected two primary sources: interviews and a survey. I have conducted
three interviews- two with medically diagnosed college students, and another one with a self-
diagnosed college student. The interviews I have conducted are more important in comparison
to my two-question survey.
Interviews:
The three interviewees are not in TAMUQ, so the most convenient way to interview them was
via a Zoom meeting. I decided to interview two college students who are medically diagnosed
to see different viewpoints of ADHD and for more accuracy. On the other hand, I interviewed
one self-diagnosed college student since self-diagnosing has become very common when it
comes to ADHD, and I, as an interviewer, would be able to relate to the self-diagnosed college
student.
The first college student I interviewed is a medically diagnosed girl who studies at Windsor
University in Canada but is studying online in Qatar. One thing I found interesting about her
replies is the fact that she hardly focused on academics. Her focus was her hobbies, and panic
attacks. One interesting symptom she mentioned that isn’t usually found on the internet is
hyper fixations- she’s interested in an activity until she gets the hang of it.
The second college I interviewed is my family friend who studies at Georgetown University in
Qatar. One thing he had in common with my first interviewee is the lack of focus on studies.
Based on one of my discussions with him, getting distracted while studying is normal, and
doesn’t necessarily have to do with ADHD. In terms of hyperactivity, he uses physical activity to
get rid of the extra energy he has instead of “socially exploding” on others.
My last interviewee is a self-diagnosed student. Given the same questions, her answers weren’t
like the first two. She mainly complained about the difficulty of studying, which was an
expected answer. When I asked her about how ADHD affects her emotionally, she talked about
how the academic and social effects affect how she feels as she starts to get irritated by the
struggle.
Survey:
I sent out a Qualtrics survey to the TAMUQ class of 2025 via WhatsApp and my other college
friends in Qatar via Snapchat. The survey’s main objective is to prove that whether a student is
medically diagnosed with ADHD or not, the symptoms are very similar for both types of
students. The 31 responses that I have received were enough to prove that most college
students deal with the symptoms of ADHD whether they’re medically diagnosed or self-
diagnosed. My first question asks whether the student taking the survey is medically diagnosed
with ADHD or not. I was surprised to find that there are 5 medically diagnosed students with
ADHD. To be honest, I expected two at most, so the result profoundly exceeded my
expectations.
Depending on the answer selected in the first question, the second question differs for different
students, which is known as display logic. The main goal of the second question was to know
about the various ADHD symptoms that different college students can relate to. Despite the
great difference in number between self-diagnosed and medically diagnosed students, the
symptoms are the same, which isn’t surprising news for a student like me who spends most of
her time studying and interacting with other students. These results were a sort of confirmation
that my research topic is valid and has motivated me to continue working on my research.
Secondary Sources:
To get more scientific and reliable information, I used three secondary sources: websites,
books, and videos.
I used a website to explain what ADHD is and talk about some of its symptoms, which can be
found in the introduction of this research.
My research question has been a question to many scientists back in time. “From the 1930s to
1950s, emphasis was placed on the relationship of ADHD symptoms to brain insults, including
infections, toxins, and head trauma. During this time, the symptoms were recognized as like
those seen in animals and humans with injury to the frontal lobes of the brain.” (Mercugliano,
836). The studies go on until this day. My point is throughout the history of science,
neurologists have believed that the brain plays a significant role in showing the symptoms of
ADHD, and they still do. Mercugliano
Based on Dr. Brown’s (Associate director, Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders)
statements, there is no specific test that can confirm whether a student has ADHD or not.
Usually, it can be confirmed by a conversation, interview, or a series of interviews with a
professional. “If you look at that list of symptoms and show it to anybody and say, ‘Have you
ever had this?’, everybody’s hand would be up and say ‘Sure, of course!’, but those symptoms
that we all have sometimes …, those are all things that everybody has some trouble with. The
purpose of the diagnostic interview is to find out … how this person really functions day by day
compared to others of the same age.”

Results and Discussion:

Based on the results from the interviews and the survey, there isn’t a wall that separates the
medically diagnosed students from the self-diagnosed ones. No matter how many results I
would have gotten, this research still wouldn’t be solidly reliable. Like I previously mentioned,
ADHD has a lot to do with the brain and cannot simply be diagnosed based on day-to-day
behaviors (even though these behaviors do help with confirming whether a person has this
disorder).
However, one idea that I can confidently express is that most college students with ADHD don’t
experience these ADHD symptoms only when they’re studying, but they get to experience it
every minute of their lives. The interview is solid evidence for this idea.
Those who are self-diagnosed fall off into two groups- those who might have ADHD but have
never been medically diagnosed, and those who conclude that they have ADHD because they
find some symptoms relatable. At first, I saw self-diagnosing as some sort of false alarm, but I
came to realize that not everyone who says they have ADHD is lying about it.
Reflection:
ADHD is a term that has become so popular nowadays. One problem of mine is that I have
gotten so used to hearing “I have ADHD” to the point that I can’t tell who’s being honest about
it. This is a critical topic to me because some students who self-diagnose are belittling the
struggles of those who have been medically diagnosed with ADHD. Yes, just because students
are self-diagnosed doesn’t mean that the possibility of ADHD isn’t there- some of them
probably do have ADHD, but just because the same students get to relate to these ADHD
symptoms isn’t a sort of confirmation that they certainly have ADHD. This IMRaD (Introduction,
Methodology, Results, and Discussion) report was inspired by Hiam Al-Mulla’s research in the
Best Writing 2021 (TAMU-Q) book.
 Works Cited

“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” NHS Choices, NHS, 30 May 2018,
www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/.

Mercugliano, Marianne. "What is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?" Pediatric Clinics of

North America 46.5 (1999): 831-843.

Brown, Thomas E., interviewee. YouTube, Understood, 18 Jan. 2016, youtu.be/rH4UzMcbmjU.